Chapter 178: Go to Eldoria, Kryssia Winterhart
"What the hell was that?" Strax thought after leaving the meeting room. What on earth was that woman thinking? What a crazy situation!
He wasn't angry, far from it—at least he knew she was favorable to him. But what drove him to utter confusion was... What led to this?
He hadn't done anything with her for her to give herself to him so... easily? 'I mean, let's be morally considerate here. I didn't do anything. I just... was myself?
Ah! What a mess!' He stomped his foot while walking, trying to shake off the negative feelings, but...
It was impossible!
'I'm not a difficult man to deal with, but what drives a woman to give her first kiss to a man she met, what, five days ago?'
He couldn't believe what was happening, and it wasn't just any woman... It was an elf! A damn elf!
"Elves are known for their longevity and superior intellect. So why the hell would an elf do something like this, just out of the blue?" Strax really wasn't understanding the situation Evelyn had put him in. It was as if...
"She's not that desperate... Although she's dying, of course, but... No, what the hell was that!" He kept cursing as he continued walking through the mansion towards the exit...
He passed by unnoticed, no one stopping him, and finally reached the exit where his beautiful wives were waiting. And immediately—
"Why do you look like that?" Monica was the first to ask, as the look of confusion on his face was truly indescribable.
"Something happened that's driving me insane." He said, not giving details. "But I want you to train. Since we have little time, I need you to be sharp. We already have the plan; we need to focus on it." Strax said to the three of them.
"This is already becoming a big drag. Waiting and training... What the hell." Samira said, clearly exhausted. "Besides, did you send the letter to Diana?" Strax asked Monica, completely ignoring Samira's bad mood, which was understandable.
"Yes, I sent a detailed report on what we discovered, but I kept the description of Evelyn and her group, as well as Rogue, vague. We don't need to share everything, just the necessary details about the mission, not about the friends and relationships we made during the journey." Monica said with a smile before receiving a pat on her head.
"Good job, dear." He said while looking at the mansion. "I think we should stay alert... I feel like something is wrong." Strax murmured, glancing at one of the windows, as if someone was watching him...
"Let's go." He said, leading the girls.
Meanwhile...
"They've left..." Lyana murmured, seeing her mistress without her veil, looking out the window. "Why did you do that?" She questioned, even irritated.
"Because I trusted him." She commented. "It may sound illogical, but... I had another vision." She said, her tone... was worrying.
"I'm sure you're prohibited from using your forecasting magic, my lady." Lyana said, worried.
"I didn't use it; it was an instinctive dream... and you know what that means." Evelyn said as she began to undress.
Lyana saw the woman's body, covered in various strange bruises and scars, as well as... pulsating veins on her skin. "The disease..." Lyana murmured. "It's getting worse." She confirmed.
"I know it may be too much for you, but that man... He is a True Dragon." Evelyn said, causing Lyana to almost lose her strength. "He might not be complete, but he is definitely a Dragon... When I kissed him... the natural mana... was so absurd that I had to act quickly."
Lyana couldn't stand for much longer, finally sitting in a nearby chair. "No matter what you think of him. Ignore any orders you receive if they're to help him, understood? If a True Dragon is alive as a human, he's weak. Help that man no matter what." It was an order, a primordial command that made Lyana set aside any negative feelings she had for the man.
"Understood, he will suffer nothing." She said. "Even if it means I die in the process."
Lyana agreed, looking deeply into Evelyn's eyes, leaving her with a calm smile on her face. "I'll take a bath." Evelyn said, heading toward the bathroom...
'A True Dragon?... Is that... even possible?' Despite not doubting her mistress, the information was... too shocking for her.
"Ah... of course there was something wrong with him..." She said, sighing deeply...
Not far from that location... In a vast forest, sunlight filtered through the lush green leaves of the trees in a timid dance. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying corpses.
An immense pile of magical beast corpses lay at her feet, with a woman sitting atop it... The General of the Empire... well, Thalassia was not quite an Empire yet, but it seemed that time was approaching.
Despite the pile of carcasses, the scene before her was still a sea of beasts—monstrous, deformed, and grotesque creatures that had invaded the forest in a frenzy of destruction and chaos. But for her, they were nothing more than prey to be hunted, obstacles in her path that needed to be eliminated with the efficiency of a storm.
With an almost imperceptible movement, the woman raised her right arm, where a long, gleaming sword stood out against the darkness—a blade of pure ice. The blade seemed to absorb the light, as if it were thirsty for the blood of the creatures she was about to annihilate.
In a fluid and precise gesture, she swung the sword through the air, a motion that seemed more an extension of her will than a physical act.
The impact was devastating. The blade cut through the space with a supernatural force, unleashing a wave of energy that swept through the forest with indescribable violence. The beasts, which had been moving in chaotic frenzy, were immediately reduced to nothing more than stains of blood and shredded, frozen flesh.
In a single strike, tens of thousands of creatures were obliterated, their existence reduced to a blur of destruction spread across the forest floor.
The sound of devastation was accompanied by an absolute silence, as if the forest itself were in shock at the magnitude of power that had just been displayed. She stood unmoved, almost indifferent to the chaos around her, her cold and calculating gaze observing the carnage with a faint smile on her lips.
"This is getting more and more tedious..." She murmured, having been traversing the continent's border for days, just erasing the existence of each beast in frenzy. "Someone is generating mana beasts... This is unusual." She thought.
She was about to turn back to her tasks when a messenger appeared, emerging from the shadows with an aura of urgency. The man, dressed in simple clothes but with an air of reverent respect, approached cautiously, his posture reflecting the gravity of the situation... despite him nearly wetting his pants just by facing her.
"G-General," he said, his voice trembling slightly. Was she that frightening? Yes, she was. "I-I bring an urgent message," he stuttered.
She did not turn immediately, but the tension in her posture was enough for the messenger to understand that his message had to be important.
She extended her hand, her nails sharp as claws, to receive the letter the man offered. With a swift movement, she broke the seal and unfurled the scroll, her green eyes fixating on the words with fierce concentration.
"To the General of the Kingdom, Kryssia Winterhart,
A significant event is about to take place in three days in Eldoria. It is an illegal auction, where the most valuable item up for bid will be the Dragon's Heart that was stolen from one of our facilities. Your presence is required to ensure that this artifact is recovered and returned to our King.
The Dragon's Heart is of great importance to the plans we have underway. Your participation is crucial. If it is not possible to recover it through passive means, destroy it.
Sincerely, Alderith Gobefry, Royal Advisor."
"Three days," she murmured, her tone filled with a chilling calm. "We have enough time to prepare the chaos we want without rushing."
She looked at the messenger, who seemed to be in a state of silent terror. "And you, what is your role in all of this?" she asked with a frigid tone.
"I am merely the bearer of the message, G-General," he quickly replied. "I have no further information beyond what is written."
The General nodded slowly, her eyes gleaming with a cruel and predatory light. "Very well. You may go now."
The messenger bowed quickly and retreated, disappearing into the shadows of the forest. The General was left alone, the sounds of the forest now a symphony of calm after the recent massacre. She was perfectly at ease, her power and presence as overwhelming as the devastation she had wrought.
"An illegal auction, hmm?" she whispered to herself, her mind already starting to plot the necessary steps to ensure the Dragon's Heart would be within her grasp. "I always appreciate a good challenge."
"Who knows, I might even find someone amusing to toy with until death."